Charlotte messenger. [volume] (Charlotte, Mecklenburg Co., N.C.) 1882-18??, 1887-07-02
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON FOR
JULY 3.
Lesson Text, "Tho Infant Jesus
Matt. H., 1.12-. Oldcn Text, Matt.
l., 21-COmmentary by Prof.
TimOihy Dwight.

Bethlehem Of Jndlett. TIE story of jesus, az
| given by Matthew, begins with genealogy
tracing his descert from David and Abraham,
and then passes to the announcement which
was made to Joseph respecting his origin and
| approaching BIRTH In the narrative OF Luke
on the other hand. the beginning Of tho story
IS with the birth Of Jesus, including, os pre-
paratory to it, what is said Of the birth of
John the Baptist and the announcement made
TO Mary; and the genealogy, which goes
backward from Jesus Himself to His sancestry,
IS given at later point. As Immediately re
lated to Jesus, the record of Matthew ap-
| proaches His life, as we may say, from the
fathers side, and from tho point of view Of
genealogical descent; that Of Luke approaches
it from the mothers side, and from the cir
| cunlstances connected with its beginning. It
is natural, therefore, that we find the details
OF the story of the birth in Luke's account,
| and only mere general allusion to the
fact in the narrative of Matthew Both
| writers, however, agree in placing the
birth at Bethlehem, and Luke gives the rea-
| son why 1t happened to occur in that village;
namely, because Joseph was called to go there
| for the purpose of an enrolment ordered by
the Roman authorities, as connected with
taxation. The fact that we were obliged TO
| I'LL out and adjust the details of the story by
a careful comparison of Luke and Matthew
is. in view Of what has been stated, not a
| matter which should occasion difficulty or
| surprise. Moreover when we consider the
brevity OF both Of the narratives, and the
fact that the main interest of the authors of
both is connected with what followed the be-
| ginning Of Jesus's public ministry, it cannot
| be regarded as a strange thing if thecomplete
adjustment of the two records to each other
should involve somewhat of conjecture, or
| should remain, after all our examination, in
some degree Of uncertainty. We must re-
member that neitherof the two Gospels claims
to be full biography of Jesus, and that, il
the vacant places had been filed up by the
writers, the explanation, which we may now
seek for without assured Success; might
easily have been given US. Among the points
| of difficulty to which these remafks may an.
| ply, is that which Is Connected with the mem
ton Of Bethlehem-Matthew apparently, as it
Is claimed, regarding this village, and Luke re-
] garding Nazareth, as the residence Of Jesus's
parents before the time Of bis birth Beth
lehem here referred IS Is Bethlehem Of 1udea
| or Bethlohem-E -Ephratah Micah ", 9, the pas
rage from which verse of this chapter is
quoted. 1t was situated at q distance of
about six miles from Jerusalem, and in O di-
rectlon somewhat west of south. There was
another town called Bethlehem in the region
occupied by the tribe of Zebulon. The latter
| town was about six miles west of Nazareth.
and is mentioned 6nce in the Old Testament
| Josh. xix, 15). Bethlehem of Juslea was the
| birthplace of David; and Luke states that
| Joseph went to Bethlehem at the time Of the
enrolment because he was of the house and
iamlly OF David.-In the days of Herod the
king: The birth Of Jesus occurred in the
iast year Of Herods life, according to the best
evidence which we are able to discover
"Ihe days. here cover the period of Herod's
onicIal nie, but the particular time of the
| event alluded to was near the closa of
this period. Herod who is here spoken 81
Is Herod the Great, the first OF tie Herod
family, OF which several different representa-
tives are mentioned in the Gospels and the
Acts. The one who is generally called Herod
IN the Gospels was Herod the tetrarch, tho
son OF Herod the Great, and appointed to-
| trarch of Galilee by his fathers will. He wns
the one to whom Jesus was sent by PLATE
Luke. xiii, 2 ff.) He died A. D. 50. The
one who is spoken Of as Hered in the twelfth
chapter OF the Acts and the account of whose
6eatn Is there given, was Herod Agrippa, the
! nrst Of that name, who was a grandson of
herod the Great, and nephew of Herod the
tetrarch. The other members Of the Herod
family who are alluded TO in the New Testa-
ment are designated by other names: Archie
laus tMatt. Ill, ~, Philip-frst Matt. xiv,
- marx VII 10, Philip-second luke ill.,, y,
Asrippa-Herod Agrippa the second tActs
XIV, l3l. OF these, the aforementioned was
theson Of Herod Agrippa the first, and the
great-grandson OF Herod the Great, while the
other three were sons of Herod the Great. and
brothers, or half brothers, of Herod the
Setrarch. The cruelty and wickedness of this
family: and particularly OF Herod the Great,
are well known from history which ia outside
OF tne New Testament. records, and the cir
| cumstances mentioned in this chapter as con-
nected with Herod's action, are fully in ac-
coldance with his character. Behold, trise
| men from the east came to Jerusalem. The
margin of the Revised Version reads 'sMagi. .
and refers the reader to Esther l., l3, and
Daniel H., IL The insertion Of the word
Magl' In the text might well have com
nended itself to the Revisers. These men
| wert the WISE men OF the region from which
tey came, notin the ordinary signifcation Of
that term merely, but in the technical sense.
II we may so express it. They were origin
ally distinguished priestly caste. and they
aevoted themselves particularly to astrononi-
Icai aiorastrcloglcal or pursuits and Investigations;
anu the Magi here alluded to. whether of the
prlestiy order or not, were doubtless men who
observed the movements and changes of tho
neaVeniy oodies and, in connection with
these observations, were led 10 EXPECT the &C.
currence OF great events in the world. This
ls rendered probable bv the s.a ..inents ~ tha
narrative here given as well MS by what we
know Of the Magi class from other sources
The region which Matthew designates as
"the east,n cannot be determined with GER
tainty; but there can be littledoubt thatit wai
! eltner AfaOla or ferSia, ana more pTODdplyi
as it would seem, it was Persia. The word;
"from the east, y in the grammatical connec
ton of the sentence, are quite probably to bC
| joined with "Magi,n rather than with the
verb. These Magi were doubtless heather, a.
is indicated by their question, which niarki
the Jews as distinct body from themselves
aod their countTymen
| Verse 2.--SdWng. Where is He that is born
King Of the Jeiosg This question was, nc
doubt, presented 10 such leading men OIL
authorities in Jerusalem as they were able to
meet They do not seem 20 hnve come before
Herod at first, but moro probably they con.
suited some Of the scribes or chief priests, the
whole company of whom is mentioned in
verse 4. AS Meyer remarks: The ex
| pectation Of the Jews TINT their Messiah was
TO rule over the world, might at that period
have been sufficiently disseminated through.
| out the foreign countries of the Fast TO lead
heathen astrologers, for the object in qucs.
ton, 10 the Jewish capital The writer OF
the Gospel was, no doubt, impressed with
this testimony, as it were, borne 70 the
Messiah, and TO Jesus as tho Messiah,
by these Representatives OF the Gentle
nations; and thus he records the story for the
| purpose Of setting before his readers tnis
testimony ,as well as becauseof the wonderful
| appearance Of the star.--F'or trc saic his star
~ the east, aud are c0Ds to irOrshfD him.
/ The words "in the east ia tlis sentence are
supposed b soneto mean 'at its rising" the